my knitting, my burros, my special little part of the Sierra Nevadas....

May 03, 2011

I have mentioned and hinted a few times at the grand new adventure I have been embarking upon this spring, and today is the day to announce widely, and with the help of a contest, just what I have been up to!

My love of all things fibery has been one of my partners through several decades, beginning when I was five and learned to knit. In my early 20s, while taking spinning lessons and learning to weave Navajo-style, my teacher also introduced our class to natural plant dyes. I already knew I had a passion for plants, and had been studying herbology for a few years, so it was a natural step, and I have made many 'experiments' over the years. I did not instantly become a dyer or start a dye business... in fact, you will see it has taken a few decades of 'cooking' to come to the point of sharing this knowledge and love with others.

This winter, while pondering what to do in the current (read: dismal) economy, I realized I had a large parcel on our property that I could use to cultivate dye plants. From that tiny seed thought, I have spent the winter planning to launch the first Natural Dye Plant CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) venture that I have been able to find advertised anywhere. One impetus to act now was the localizing that has been taking place in my life for the past five years or so... I realized that while it has become much easier to obtain locally-grown food to eat in my region, clothes are another matter entirely. I could take one of my loves, gardening, and pair it with a need, for artists to have local color available to help re-clothe our region in locally produced garments!

Today is the Launch Day, meaning that if you go over and visit my new website, Nature's Cauldron, you can become one of my CSA subscriber/supporters by signing up for a share. My "community" of fiber fanatics is much bigger than just the boundaries of my county or state, so I am going to be drying and mailing out dye plants, as well as a few other goodies, over the course of the harvest season. You might decide that you and your knitting group want to purchase a share together, so that you can begin to explore natural color options for your future projects. As my gardens become more productive over the next few years, I will also begin dyeing and offering yarns in the prettiest of natural shades, as well as offering occasional natural dye workshops. Those of you who have followed my blogging for the past six and a half years will be watching my small farm grow from infancy. Though most of the farm posts will now move over to the new website, Sustainable Sunday will continue on this blog, sharing my general knowledge about living sustainably with all of you.

I will be growing a wide variety of plants, including Japanese indigo, madder, comfrey (olive green), yarrow (clear yellow), rhubarb (a mordant and pale orange dye), dahlias and hollyhocks, and gathering others from the hills and woods around me, including oak galls, lichens, and toyon. I live in a rich environment and plan to grow, pick and dry plants all summer in order to prepare four shipments to send to subscribers in the coming fall and winter. I also plan to include ideas and inspiration on what to make with these plant-dyed yarns.

Not all of my dear fiber friends will want to participate, or to take up natural plant dyeing. However, all of you have fiber friends as well, and just by tapping into that network of fiber artists, I know that I will be able to gather enough support for this first season of growing and harvesting. In order to spread the word quickly, I am also launching a contest today to build subscribers to my Natures Cauldron Facebook page, and to get the word out about my adventure. Each new "like" will be entered into the contest, as well as each individual who comments either here or at the new website. Of course, if you can get more entries in the contest, you have a better chance at winning the great prize package described below! So, if you refer someone else, have them tell me you sent them to visit me, and you will get additional entries.

The prize package includes a copy of Harvesting Color, the new book on natural dyeing by Rebecca Burgess of the Fibershed Project (this book will be included in the first of the four CSA shipments!), two ounces of undyed Blue-faced Leicester roving from A Verb for Keeping Warm (local Northern California sheep!), and some naturally-dyed yarns (watch for photos to come).

The contest will run for two weeks, until May 17th, at midnight PDT, so help me spread the word!

May 01, 2011

It has been a long, hard winter and spring is barely showing its face here. Today's weather is windy and cool, the soil drying out a bit and yet too cold to make the roots of most plants very happy. The only seedlings I have started here were Japanese indigo ones, which are just, finally poking their tiny and frail heads up. Only about a fourth of the seed pods in my mini-greenhouse show a plant with the two cotyledons that first appear.... hoping for a spurt of growth as the weather heads into the more temperate range next week. Here in the Sierras, it is not uncommon to feel that the weather jumps right from winter to summer, with those of us living here missing out on the long, slow springs other climates get. That said, I do have to acknowledge that grass has been greening up for six weeks, daffodils have come and gone already, and most of our fruit trees are in bloom right this moment. I am hoping that bees are out and about!

A winter that is harsh, bringing lots of wet, heavy snow, leads to a spring of clean up, cutting and burning. Most of our trees and many in the forest around us suffered limb breakage, or simply toppled from the weight of the snow. We counted up how much fell over the course of the winter and came up with a total of 8 feet! And this is at 3000 feet elevation, the foothills! Up in Lake Tahoe area, the total went over 58 feet, passing all old records, and lots of snow remains in lots of mountain places, melting slowly, recharging the aquifers of our region.

We have already managed most of the cleaning up, pruning, and burning debris at our primary home, here at Slate Range Camp, and ventured up to our high country home (where we lived full-time for 13 years, most of our childrens' various childhoods), to assess the damage. The house there is a mountain miner's cabin, on a south-facing slope close to 5000 feet, so it really is still early spring there. The terrian is much more alpine, and the frost-free days are about 90 days, though we always gardened there as well. Right now, daffodils still haven't opened and apple trees have tight buds on them, but no leaves.

As you can see, there's still a LOT of snow! The grass and vinca in the foreground were just recently exposed to the sun, and still are flattened down, while there is still a half foot around the apple trees in the background.

However, this climate is also hot, dry, and Mediterranean, and there will be a high fire danger by midsummer. That is why it is so important for those of us in the Sierras to clean up, pile broken and dead branches, and burn them or chip to use as mulch.

One of the prettiest features each spring at our high country home is this tiny stream, fed by runoff and small springs, that runs alongside the house... at it fullest right in this moment!

The Sierras are a unique climate, with all the precipitation falling in one half of the year, while the other is pretty much bone dry and quite hot. Most of the precip at the higher elevation falls as snow, and global climate change will likely alter the dynamics of the ecosystems here, especially since many plant species are adapted to the current weather patterns, along with their ecosystem partners from insect and microorganisms on up to us humans.

I treasure our 'other' home, and greatly enjoyed returning to spring, as May Day is upon us, signalling the start of summer, even though the weather patterns haven't caught up. Happy Beltane to all!

April 10, 2011

I love the high country! I spent 13 years of my life living full-time above the snow line in the Sierras, and never tire of the mountains. I do have to admit that this year's record-breaking snows in our region are daunting, and make daily life a lot more complicated. Such weather also reduces life down to essentials.

Many believe that it is impossible to deal with the short growing season, intense sun, and other challenges of living at higher elevations. Here in the Sierras, those elevations range from 4,000 to 10,000 feet above sea levell, and the frost-free season can be less than 90 days. It takes careful thought about what to grow and careful planning. Good season extenders are important tools too.

First, I want to share a video clip, taken by one of DES's (that's Dear Eldest Son's) friends, of the extensive balcony gardens he created in Kings Beach (North Lake Tahoe - 6200 ft. elevation) last summer.

There are several important things that Keith is doing right here; you will notice that all of his plants are in containers, and are watered by a drip irrigation system. His 'garden' wraps around the extensive decking of his house, even though bare ground is visible below. Actually, his home is located under the dense shade of 100 foot + evergreens, dappled shade, really, but that soil is a very thin layer of decomposed granite with very little nutritional value to the annuals we grow as food plants. He wisely sought out good growing soil and used substantial containers (lots are one or two gallon) for his tomatoes and peppers. Besides the better nutrition, that soil in pots warmed up far more rapidly than the soil in the surrounding ground, and gave his heat-loving plants a big growing boost.

Drip irrigation is a boon too, not only conserving water but also making it easy to get the right amount to each plant. The atmosphere is thinner at high elevations, increasing the UV and other rays available, so his light shade actually works to keep his plants from frying! He could add straw as mulch to help retain water, but otherwise managed to produce an incredible amount of food in a very small space.

Many of you flatlanders think of the mountains as wide, open spaces, but Keith's yard faces the same challenges as many urban homesteaders are facing in trying to grow some of their own foods in small spaces in large cities, such as lack of space, soil and light. Lake Tahoe has a narrow rim of densely populated areas all around the lake, where the people who help you visit live, and this is a great example of one household being able to supplement their food budget by growing greens, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, and other food plants along with beautiful flowers.

The Sierras are not the only part of the US with high elevation challenges.... the Rockies and parts of the Southwest, along with other northerly areas also face similar threats to successful gardening. One of my techniques is to make sure I wait impatiently until the last frost date, which can be learned from your local cooperative extension service. Some season extenders such as floating row covers and Wall O' Water can add a level of protection, though I once had a Wall O' Water collapse and smash a tomato plant during a late spring snowstorm. Greenhouses and hoop houses can also help you get a jump start on your season. However, picking the proper varieties to plant may be your best bet. Plants will take off and grow rapidly once the conditions are optimal, even catching up and surpassing your transplants.

I already mentioned mulching and drip irrigation; both bear repeating. That thinner elevation leads to more water transpiration in your plants, which can quickly dry up and wither away. Mulching can be very thick in those areas exposed to long days of direct sun. You may also be able to take advantage of micro-climates under trees to grow greens and other plants that need more shade. Get to know your site!

Growing Food in the Southwest Mountains, Lisa Rayner (1996, 2002) - Lisa is a permaculture and solar cooking expert who has worked with the challenges of the Southwest growing environment for two decades.

Native Seed/SEARCH - seed preservers and promoters of many heirloom varietals grown for centuries in the high mountain deserts of the Southwest, even as hig ast 10,000 ft. I grew a successful Three Sisters garden at 5,000 ft elevation one year using crops they recommend, though free-range cattle got to eat my corn instead of me!

High Country Gardens - Another excellent resource for plants that will thrive in the challenging high elevation climates.

March 28, 2011

This post is a day late because the electricity was out in the last, strong round of storms... this time for 64 hours, ending yesterday evening. We have had two other storm-related extended outages since November, one for six days and the other for four. Although we are ready with several redundant systems to back us up, every time we go through this, I realize just how dependent our entire culture IS on electric power!

The first problem people run up against is water! Water is the second-most essential thing humans need, after oxygen to breathe. If it's raining, you can leave lots of pots outside and catch the rainwater, and even (probably, mostly) safely drink it, though I recommend that while life is treating you kindly, you bottle up and set aside a gallon per day per person of water for emergency use. I am lax in this area, partly because I have gravity-fed spring water, however, that could fail too. I intend to follow my own advice.

Water is also required for flushing toilets; most of us still need to think of this problem. You could use that rainwater you didn't want to drink for this purpose, in which case, your ice chests might come in handy as big receptacles. Or, maybe you are in the position to consider converting your household over to composting toilets, which will still be functioning during extended power outages. If you are interested, click that link and you will find a good, simple-to-understand, discussion of systems available and how they work.

Several of my friends who don't live on our tiny town's gravity-fed system were seen during this winter's outages hauling home garbage cans full of water to take care of personal hygiene needs, or visiting with towel and shampoo in hand to beg a shower off those who did have running, hot water. Bathing is another need that sometimes has to go by the wayside in power outages. What kind of water heating are YOU using? I have always favored propane water heaters, in part because I could make sure to stock up on the propane during the calm periods, and have enough to get me through the storms. Of course, this is still dependency on our oil-driven culture, and I have also researched what it would take to convert to either solar or wood-heated water.

The solar option is a costly set-up, but I believe we are going to see a round of rebates and tax cuts again, as our country tries to break its dependency on foriegn oil. Now could be the time to research and plan for some conversion in your home's systems. Here's a link to Real Goods, one of the oldest and most comprehensive solar consulting businesses. I do love my on-demand propane water heater, and am also concerned that a solar system would be yet another failure during the weeks of storms we have had this very wet winter.

Such weather is just when a back-up system attached to a wood stove would come in handy. Here's a great little video to watch about using a stovepipe water heater:

The video references this article from the Mother Earth News archives, both together will give you some really good information on how you can get hot water independently in winter. Of course, you won't be wanting to use your wood stove in summer, so snag one of those camping solar showers to set aside for the rare instance of a summer power outage. That hot sun will come in handy!

Now that you have looked over your immediate health needs, take a look in the cupboard... how are you doing with keeping up on food storage? Any number of emergencies can interfere with your ability to get food, and even though I prefer getting my food fresh, I still maintain a cupboard full of staple grains and beans. I always notice how empty the store shelves look right after a power outage, and that makes me realize that people have a tendency to panic in the face of an outage and rush out and buy a lot of food. I particularly feel sorry for those who need electricity to heat their homes and cook their food, and for those who never learned to cook! A pot of soup simmering on the wood stove is a good alternative, and so is keeping a campstove that you can cook on in an emergency... even that outdoor bar-be-que can come in handy.

Which reminds me... be aware that you are not using unvented heat sources that allow carbon monoxide to build up inside your house! This fact sheet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention goes over the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, and how to avoid it in a power outage.

How can you pursue your usual interests in a power outage? Sometimes, this sense of boredom is what makes them seem so difficult to people. We have a large collection of kerosene lanterns, several of which emit enough light for reading or craft work; once again, we turn to the oil industry. There are good candle options that don't contain oil, however they also don't provide much in the way of light. Take advantage of the natural daylight coming into your home during a power outage, and adjust your tasks accordingly. You can also use personal headlamps that run on batteries that can be recharged out on your porch during the day and returned to use in the evening. REI offers an assortment solar charging panels that can keep you connected with the outside world during an outage or other emergency; when an outage is caused by a storm or other natural disaster, knowing what is going on also reduces your stress level! Of course, a drive to the store to gossip about the weather with the neighbors might be enough to recharge your cell phone, so you can call Grandma and let her know you are all right!

These outages inconvenienced us, but also gave us personal re-charging time... to read, to knit, to play board games, to make plans for the coming spring. Sometimes, when the culture grinds to a halt, we become aware of just how much 'busyness' we have allowed to overtake us. Being prepared helps me to let go of the stress of an unexpected change and enjoy the down time. I know I haven't covered all of the strategies that help with emergency preparedness, and would love to hear your suggestions in the comments!

March 19, 2011

DH and I got to have a day together, just doing fun things on Friday, and headed to Oroville for the California State Old-Time Fiddle Championships. We arrived just as things were getting set up, and were informed that the contestants wouldn't begin playing until the mid-afternoon, so we trundled about doing a few errands and checking on the local thrift stores. As we left one with some great finds, DH said "We should get all our clothes from thrift stores", to which I replied "Well, it seems like that has been pretty much what we've done the past few years". Truth be told, I managed to escape from poverty between the two major recessions and buy some of my clothing new at retail outlets, but for most of my adult life, living that part of the "American dream" has been beyond my means; when I first discovered thrift stores in my teens, I could buy something for less than the cost of the fabric I would need to sew it, and developed an individual style around that fact.

Clothing is often on my mind, in part because I love fashion and costume, and in part because I am usually always working on one piece of clothing or another, mainly as a knitter. Which makes my earlier statement a bit inaccurate... I do make a portion of my own clothing annually.

Another reason why I am pondering the concept of how we are clothed is that I have been following the progress of the Fibershed Project, as the year winds to a close. Rebecca Burgess put together a team of fiber artists (and fiber geeks like me) to help her wear only clothing sourced within 150 miles from her Marin County home for one entire year, including the plants used to color her clothing. There were two primary reasons she embarked upon such a journey, first, that the textile industry is the number one polluter of fresh water on the planet, both for growing and processing, and second, that the carbon footprint (amount of carbon spent to get something fully produced and into our hands) for our clothing, much of which comes from China these days, is just huge. She states that the carbon emitted for the production of a t-shirt is up to 40 times the weight of the shirt itself!

I decided to take a harder look at what we need to wear in our daily lives... much of the work clothing DH needs is either provided by his job (seasonal USFS ranger; uniform shirts and pants provided by the agency), however he routinely needs to purchase shoes, t-shirts and undergarments. He has a large collection of Pendleton shirts for fancier occasions, some of which were gifts and some sourced used by his loving wife. He has invested in element-proofing outerwear appropriate to our mountain life, and doesn't need to replace those items frequently. He is far less style-conscious than I am so only occasionally needs a 'special' outfit purchased new. He would really love it if I knitted more socks for him! He has been very successful in recycling other peoples' clothing, and the carbon footprint of doing so is probably relatively low, as we include such searches into trips for other, more pressing purposes.

In my case, I tend to wear jeans and tops, and have made enough shawls and scarves to last a long while. I realized when I also surveyed my fiber stash as a part of this general 'accounting' that I have enough yarn stashed for at least a dozen more lace projects, have a shawl for myself on the needles, and committed to a Mystery Shawl KAL next month... and really for my amusement rather than to clothe myself! I have given away several of the lace pieces I have knitted in the past several years, and have a half-dozen or more to rotate already. Maybe I will take a break once the KAL is done! I also have enough hats and mitts for my basic needs, and better finish those crocheted mittens, or knit up a pair, since we continue to get snow!

What I really need - probably nothing immediately! I do replace socks and underwear somewhat frequently, and could use a nice skirt that would serve me year-round. Maybe a camisole or two, so that I have summer tops that serve under winter garments. I will probably be able to outfit myself for the coming summer season fairly well through keeping someone else's discards going another year.

I started thinking about re-tooling my knitting. What if I tried to make what I needed more than what I wanted? Some of my regular readers know that I took an interest in knitted millinery, signing up for an online class that I am halfway through. I will have made myself three hats by the end of spring: one to match my wedding officiant outfit, one for casual shade with summer clothing, and one to use as a garden hat. This seems excessive, especially considering how many people in the world might be lucky to have even one shade hat! However all three are for distinctly separate purposes, and I have worn out the summer hats I had. Looking at the materials I picked, only one of the hats will be crafted from local materials... using a cone of Sally Fox's color-grown cotton. Although developed less than 100 miles from me, I think most of her product is grown and milled in Texas. Another uses 2nd Time Cotton, which I purchased a few years back while working at my LYS. Though milled from recycled (pre-used, leftover waste from t-shirt production) materials, I am sure that yarn wasn't milled within 150 miles from here! The third yarn is a bamboo/cotton blend from Southwest Trading Company, and while bamboo is a lovely renewable resource, I am aware that cotton is one of the most pesticide-heavy crops grown! If you are following my logic here, you will see that even if I make something myself, there's a good chance that my desires are only adding to the burden placed on the planet when we clothe ourselves.

I did some research prior to writing this post, looking into what alternatives I had, should I consider making some of the clothing I will need in the coming year. I already have yarn stashed that will allow me to enhance my sock drawer, so there's no need at present to purchase anything, but I was happy to see that Yolo Wool Mill, located about 100 miles away, could either mill up yarn for me with wool I got from a local sheep flock, or sell me with some for socks. I could then dye it using my own plants or those I wildcrafted. Of course, some of you could spin your own, however, I am really only an intermediate-level spinner, so will probably turn to the mill and support their continued presence in our region.

According to the research Rebecca Burgess did for the Fibershed year, there no longer is a cotton mill in my region. I could still locate US-milled cotton, grown organically and without chemical dyes, in order to make a summer camisole or two, however if I want true 'bras' or underwire-able camisoles, such as the patterns in Knitting Lingerie Style, I would want a cotton/elastic yarn such as Elann's Esprit. Elann states on their website that this yarn comes from Brazil, and judging from the colors shown, it is not available undyed.

You might be shaking your head and wondering why I would even consider making undies! After all, you can now find organic cotton items to purchase at places like this. The problem is that product diversity in the organic market just is not the same, especially with prices being higher, than what it is at your local Walmart, or a specialty lingerie store. If I want a lower-impact item, I might just have to make it myself. If I want an item that is also 'regional', I will have to start raising my voice in support of a re-localizing of production! I got pretty worn out searching the 'net the other night, and really only found a handful of organic yarns that were produced in my own country, let alone my own state. There's a lot of work to be done here!

I did discover EcoButterfly, a wonderful purveyor of organic, fair-trade cotton yarns for those summer items worn close to my skin. For those thinking of sewing up some t-shirts or other clothing, they also carry a line of fabrics from Pachuko in Peru. Seamstresses might also want to check out Hemp Traders, a large online seller of several kinds of organic fabrics; the offerings I looked at didn't list country/state of origin, though I did fall in love with this beautiful fabric for a skirt. Once again... lots of carbon used to get these products into our hands, though less impact in their growth and processing. You probably have noticed that I haven't even considered footwear! That will have to be the subject of a whole lot more research and a future post.

All of this searching led me back to the place I started from... that conversation with DH after leaving a thrift store. The clothing we purchased was not originally made to my standards regarding avoiding sweat shops, sourcing regionally, wearing organic materials, etc. However, those items were being kept out of the waste stream, given more life for the resources that had already been expended in their creation, and still had plenty of wear left in them. Their purchase did not make much of a dent in our budget, nor did it require the large expenditure of time that knitting one sweater would involve. Was it better to simply keep on wearing second-hand clothing, with maybe the exception of intimates and shoes?

What I have learned at this point is that 'local' clothing is much more difficult to come by than local food. Those of us in the fiber arts have been busy creating, but also need to step back and look at the sources of our supplies and what impacts those sources create. Are we supporting producers who are ethical? Are we getting our own clothing needs met in ways that match our conscience? Perhaps the best alternative for that skirt would be to simply keep on searching until I locate a choice piece of second-hand material to sew up one!

I am hoping that my readers will weigh in on how they feel about this subject, which is really close to my heart as I embark upon my dye garden expansion to a 'commercial' level this season. Talk to me in the comments!

January 30, 2011

I have been doing some research for a super secret project (to be announced later in spring!), and found some great information to share with those of you who might have more time than money, thanks to this slow-moving, so-called economic recovery we are in.

First, I heard about SPIN Farming through my permaculture list. This program is designed to help people take very small parcels of land that they can get hold of easily, and turn out food for market, either through direct marketing to the public (such as grower's markets) or sales to restaurants. I toured their website, and was fascinated at their approach. They have pioneered a way for people to use very small plots, even as small as a backyard or a 1/4 acre plot, of your own, borrowed or leased, and use bio-intensive methods to get a high yield, consistently. Founders Wally and Gail operate a sub-acre urban farm in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and have farmed for two decades. They decided to share their expertise with others, and help people grow urban farms in particular. They offer a lot of business knowledge from their personal experience, and include information about speciality markets, such as raising flowers to sell. I haven't personally met anyone using their system, but gained a lot of knowledge from their websites. Many people are successfully contributing to their local food systems, and making a living doing it!

My region of the country is actually pretty rich in mentors these days. California has great growing conditions, and while one of the 'homes' of agri-business in the U.S., was also the starting point for a whole slow-food, eat-local movement that has spread across the country. I have been reading a bio of Alice Waters, founder of Chez Panisse and the Edible Schoolyard, and probably one of the biggest prime movers in getting small farmers and producers going here in California. I am lucky to have friends to turn to whenever I expand in a new direction horticulturally, but not everyone does.

One of those mentors is actually a pioneering ag supply business, Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply. They have been in business for 35 years, providing the supplies that organic gardeners, rather than agri-biz, would need to thrive. In the past few years, they have reached out to support a new generation of start-up small farmers, through their Freshman Farmer program. Those enrolled are mainly in the region near PV's plant in Grass Valley, and their stories are well worth the reading time.

A special note - I skipped a few weeks in my Sustainable Sunday posts; two weeks ago, I was in the midst of my ordeal with Cascade Yarns, and that process is still hanging in the air. I got a response, then wrote to the Customer Service rep, advising her to read through all of your sympathetic and supportive comments to help her decide how to fix the situation, so wanted to leave those posts up before adding anything new to confuse her. Unfortunately, there's still not a solution, but I am moving on in my own way. Then, I spent last weekend down with allergies/cold symptoms, and didn't have a clear enough head to post! Upcoming topics will include high altitude gardening, bees and seed saving. Stay tuned!

January 08, 2011

This post is dedicated to home cooks everywhere, those who love gourmet food, those who love to whip up a comfort-rich meals and all others in between! Cooking meals from scratch is one of the best things any of us can do to reduce our carbon footprint. It helps even more if what you start with doesn't have any pacakaging, but let's walk our way through this process step-by-step and see if Ican't convince you to hit the pans more frequently than the drive-through.

First, the items you bring home to cook are entirely under your control. You can source the best, freshest, most local ingredients, can walk out to your garden to grab a bite to eat, and can even start putting up your own abundance so that your off-season shopping is done at home. I think everyone agrees with that. For those who cannot garden, there are now farmers' markets in so many areas of the country, many of which operate year-round.

Next, you have some measure of control over how much packaging hitches a ride into your kitchen along with the food. You also have control over the food-miles (how far your food has traveled to get to you). Both of these are important sustainability considerations. If you aren't doing so yet, spend the coming week reading the labels of the items you buy to see if you can determine how far they have traveled to get to you. It's a lot easier to 'eat local' during the abundant summer months than it is during winter here in the Northern Hemisphere, but you might be surprised how far the food had to go... which is related to how fresh it really is. If your store doesn't make this information readily available, especially for produce, now's your chance to ask them why not!

Packaging can be steadily reduced by exploring the bulk bins and the deli counters in your area... what can you buy in bulk? Even my local food cooperative clerks were surprised to see me bring the large jar I had just had them weigh (2.59 pounds) up, filled with Nevada County Free Range beef, which will go into the slow cooker early next week as part of a great tamale pie recipe DD found (always brown your meat first before adding to the slow cooker!). It wasn't my own idea (visit Zero Waste Home), but was still a novel one to them... why not, though? I transferred the meat into a smaller, sealed refrigerator container where it will await its turn to become dinner.

Now, we turn to food prepping and cooking... once again, you get to determine what you eat and how complex or simple the fare. Personally, I love food and cooking, but still have those workdays when I come home with no clue what to make or maybe no energy. From past experience, I can vouch for menu and shopping planning as one of the best remedies, even though I don't stick to that process as much as I used to when there were six people to feed in the house, and the house was an hour's drive from the nearest 'real' grocery stores. In those days, it was essential to plan and make menus and lists, or we would all go hungry. Now, we can manage to throw together a sandwich/salad dinner or an egg dish (thanks, hennies!) for a dinner when the energy or cupboard runs low.

What if you don't know how to cook? This problem is rapidly growing, especially since schools stopped offering Home Economics, thanks to their concerns for standardized testing over the past decade. No more electives, and it is a loss to home cooking. I can recall during my high school teacher years that this was a favorite class, mostly because teenaged boys and girls alike need to consume LOTS of food to finish up their growing, and a class that allowed you to earn a decent grade while eating was a big hit.

Our local food cooperative decided to address this problem by partnering with a local chef/caterer to offer cooking classes. Some of the various places you can locate cooking classes in your community include community colleges, adult ed courses, cooking stores, and even hospitals! For those of you who resolved to lose weight in the new year, I want to suggest that you start by looking for a cooking class that focuses on healthy eating; you will have a much easier time figuring out how to diminish your caloric intake if you know everything in that dish and what you could substitute to keep it tasting yummy while slimming you down.

What about eating out? Why should you give it up? I will be the first to say, "You don't have to!", however I will also modify that by saying it's time to start applying the same principles I stated above regarding choosing foods to bring into your home, to what you purchase when eating out. It might take more work, but you can begin looking into what your favorite eateries do about purchase decisions and packaging - both brought in to the restaurant and sent out with you. Does your favorite coffee house discuss whether their beans are fair-traded? shade-grown? organic? They have the purchase power to help small coffee-grower collectives earn fair wages; how do you feel about whether they exercise that purchase power or not? Do they give you a discount for bringing in your own mug? If not, suggest that they could save money that way and please customers at the same time. Many fast-food chains don't have a single real dish in the place... maybe some cooking utensils, but there is no way you can get them to serve your meal to you on a plate. By contrast, one of my favorite Grass Valley eateries regularly sends out meals on china plates, saying that all of their crockery was donated to them (making for a lot of character in the place settings) and they have no qualms about getting almost all of it back, eventually and washed clean! They are committed to reducing their business carbon footprint, and walk their talk! Plus, they cook up the most wonderful South American cuisine... what's not to love?

I hope to hear back from readers about how they feel about home cooking, what they do about it, and what they might consider changing about their habits. Each step leads to another!

January 02, 2011

It's a tradition to make resolutions for improvement at the start of each new year, and to also take stock of our lives as the old year closes. I have been pretty happy with how the past year wound its course, but there is always room for improvement! Here's my list of "Sustainability Resolutions":

1. Return to regular Sustainable Sunday posts! I do have a lot more material to share with everyone. My Internet connection woes may improve; the service provider insisted that repairs would be in place by the end of 2010, and the tenant who was splitting bandwidth with us just moved... time will tell, but I will also try to plan and build posts throughout the week so that they are waiting each Sunday.

2. Attack that junk mail problem once again! I don't know about you, but this is a resolution that has been on my list several times in the past. I have diligently contacted the various people supposedly in charge of 'lists' and asked to be removed, only to find that by December of the following year, I am still getting way too much un-requested mail that adds to my household's waste stream. Here's the list of websites I am trying this time:

Direct Marketing Association: www.dmachoice.org

Credit card offers: www.optoutprescreen.org

Glossy catalogs: www.catalogchoice.org

I also intend to turn back around those offers and solicitations that come with first class, postage-paid envelopes and mail all the 'stuff' back along with my request to be dropped from their list.

3. Refuse, Refuse, Refuse! No more free samples for me, no free pens, extra calendars, etc. There has been a major uptick in giving freebies, using postcards, etc., to promote businesses and products in recent years. I can remember, 'back in the day', when my mama only had business cards to pass out as a real estate broker; now, everyone has gone to glossy postcards or brochures placed in plastic holders on counters. I am also weighing carefully which magazines to discontinue. DH and I are readers; we like to hold things in our hands and kick back in our chairs and luxuriate in reading. That said, I have some powerful resources to help me break the print habit - a great library system with online request service, and the fiber guild, which buys the latest books and subscribes to the most useful magazines then lets us all share them.

4. Extend my 'bring a bag' habit further! Some of you outside of California might not have heard, but San Francisco was the first US city to ban plastic shopping bags in March 2007, initially for large grocery and pharmacy stores only, though the ordinance may be expanded. Several other large CA metro areas were quick on their heels. Here's why:

Last week, I learned about one family's efforts to move towards a Zero Waste household in an article in January's Sunset magazine, and decided that I could easily add more containers and 'sub-bags' to my shopping collection, filling them with bulk items at my local stores and avoiding bringing home even more refuse. I realized I would have to work more closely on my impulse shopping habits, and write a list in advance that includes figuring out what container I need to bring as well. For example, when I shop for groceries later this week, I will be bringing a bottle with a cap for canola oil, and a jar for almond butter, both available in bulk at my local co-op. I will also need to cultivate cordial relations with the clerks at these stores, as each container needs to be checked for tare weight in advance of filling, and checking out may take a bit longer. I am guessing they would prefer that such customers come during the slower parts of the day.

5. Use What I Have! This isn't always easy in a culture that puts a heavy emphasis on 'consume, consume, consume'. Luckily, I am a maker at heart and already do a lot of re-purposing and thrifting. However, as an artist, it is often hard to resist items with 'potential'. Part of this weekend has been spent in either finishing up WIPs, such as hemming two skirts I found over a year ago (ugh! hate to admit to such procrastination), or getting real with myself and passing some of the supplies along to others. I have several pounds of such supplies bundled up and awaiting re-distribution, and feel much lighter! I also made a 'new' bathroom rug, loosely following a pattern in Soule Mama's Handmade Home book. The top portion, a flannel monkey print, is from a pillowcase I picked up at a thrift store, intending to use it for something for my grandbaby... she turned up in pjs with the same print shortly thereafter (yet another example of great minds thinking alike!), the backing is a bathmat found at another thrift shop, neutral in color, unstained and adding a cushion factor. The red stripes, which help absorb some of the moisture when you initially step out, are polarfleece left over from a sewing project.

Not to fear, dear grandchild still benefitted, with another small sewing project this weekend, which created a new dolly skirt from leftover quilting fabrics. I also benefitted from realizing that my creative urges don't always need to start at the yarn or fabric store!

September 05, 2010

Hey! It's Sunday, and here I am! I hadn't forgotten about all of you last week, but you see, there was this wee fire in our community that really got me pretty discombobulated. I first noticed the smoke just down canyon from me (Camptonville is on a ridge above Oregon Creek on the east and Bullards Bar, formerly the free-lowing North Yuba, on the west) about an hour into the fire at 5:30 on Friday, August 27th... a huge plume being fanned by the wind, it grew extremely fast into about 500 acres by dark. We were very lucky that the wind was at the front of some unseasonably cool weather, dropping down into the 50s and the fire was contained by early in the week. DH has been working steadily on the crew, this time in supply, but was able to get back to his regular High Country Ranger duties for most of the holiday weekend. I do promise there will be a Sustainable Sunday: Living in Fire Country post soon, and have also promised Ruinwin a short tutorial on making herbal preparations, since she lives on the opposite side of the country and couldn't drop everything and fly in for my class two weeks ago. The preparations we made as a group are almost ready, and some of my pupils will be meeting with me later in the week to strain, decant and otherwise finish up our project.

This week's post is a photo tour of late summer here in my region. I strained a muscle in my upper back this week, probably from over-use through knitting and the phone apps, and can't sit at the computer too long at once right now. I do feel lucky to live in an area that is wealthy in agricultural bounty this time of year, even with many people struggling for jobs. Unemployment in my county and the two on either side is amongst the highest in California, which still beats out most of the rest of the US. Sad. Hoping for brighter days, but grateful to be able to eat such good food and put some of it up for the winter.

First, the beautiful... because my gardening philosophy is that whatever you plant, make it beautiful! The garden occupies one of the most prominent places in my summer lifestyle each year, so by considering its appearance as well as its productivity, I am doubling the yield! Permaculture in action, LOL.

Last year I planted morning glories along one side of one of my biggest raised beds, and allowed them to grow up an old iron bedstead. They reseeded (thank you!) and this year, some climbed up into one of the three sunflowers at the back of that bed.

What a glorious sight this has been as I gaze out the window from my kitchen table over breakfast!

The sunflowers were leftovers that Paul offered up at a Sierra Permaculture Guild meeting back in May, and I have never had much success in my climate starting them outdoors from seed, so jumped at the chance. All three took off and have been a joy to me as well as a lure to the birds, keeping them from tearing up the leaves of other plants. One lunch this week, I spent the entire time watching birds light, check to see if the seeds were ready yet, and then peck away at the sunflower leaves... wonder if they taste enough like the seeds to be a treat to the birds?

Something for now.... and for later. Tomatoes were slow to ripen throughout the foothills this summer, partly because of cool spells in late spring.

They are coming on strong now, though, and it is time to think of many, many ways to use them. Ketchup-making will be one way that we preserve some for later.

Also for later... Royal Acorn squash. I don't usually plant a summer squash these days, since so many friends will gratefully give me all the zuccini and crookneck I might need, or I can pick them up for cheap at one of the farmers' markets. I use the space for winter squash, which we cure and keep and eat throughout the next six months. This year, we are trying a new variety, because late frosts killed ours and these plants were available at Rebel Ridge Organics, where Jessi had them protected in her large greenhouse. I took the photo last weekend, and am happy to report that by yesterday, several were starting to turn the darker green that indicates approaching ripeness! They need to be properly cured to keep well; we usually set them on cardboard boxes on the porch, up on shelves or chairs where there is good air circulation, and let the outer skins dry out before storing them.

The next picture is a rather messy raised bed, full of the mixture of items I like to see in one place... tomatoes, Thai basil, nasturtiums, sunflowers and morning glories, all sharing space and producing abundance. In another bed, I have an extra tomato plant vying for attention with one lemon cucumber plant that has been giving me multiple cukes each day...

It has been fun to watch what does well and then go to our town's Saturday Gardeners' Market and compare notes.

I haven't found much to buy, simply because we are all growing similar items. I did get some eggplants each of the past two weekends, which have joined tomatoes and squashes in my favorite summer dish, Ratatouille.

Neighbors gather to discuss their gardens and buy the extra that one has but another didn't plant, etc.

We are fortunate that this year, the Pelton Wheel Cafe has allowed the market to meet in their back lot, and people have been able to relax on their patio, either breakfasting on cafe foods or purchasing a crepe at the historical society's booth.

A few people bring along instruments and serenade us with live music. Life is so easy in summer!

This last photo is of my delicious and mostly-local supper the other night... homegrown tomatoes (the yellows are from my neighbor and the reds from me) accompanied by California mozzarella and Sierra d' Oro blueberry balsamic vinegar (from a small, local olive oil farm, though they imported it from Modena, Italy) drizzled over the top. Truckee sourdough bread paired with California Olive Ranch fresh, green oil for dipping (they are only 40 miles from me and are "America's largest grower and processor of olive oil"!), and a Napa Valley red wine.

August 24, 2010

The chocolate-lovers amongst you will vividly recall Charlie's excitement to find a golden ticket so that he could win a visit to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. While these opportunities might not be as generally exciting, for those of you interested in sustainability, I wanted to share some great events that are coming up in the next month or so!

The opportunity missed was to take my herbal salves and tinctures class, offered on Sunday morning (which is why there was no Sunday post!). The group left happy, full of ideas and knowledge, and with small jars of St. Johns Wort salve), and will be gathering back together to process our mullein tincture (for the lungs), calendula herbal-infused oil (which I will turn into salve with my part), and Dr. Kloss' herbal liniment (the best natural antiseptic!) in a few weeks. I have discovered that the worst part of teaching is not getting any pictures....

August 28 - How To Raise Chickens

Saturday, August 28, 2010, from 10 AM - 2 PM at the
San Juan Ridge Family Resource Center (includes lunch)$15.00 per person; $20.00
per family. Building a coop
and preparing for the arrival of chicks or laying hens is an exciting summer
project for the family. Fresh eggs and, if you choose, fresh chickens for the
table will give you a tremendous sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Your
family will never go back to a grocery store for the taste alone!

In this fun and educational workshop, you will learn the fascinating history of the
chicken – what came first, the chicken or the egg? We will also cover the
following topics: how to choose the best breeds to suit your needs, the care
and responsibility of keeping chickens in your backyard, their nutritional
needs and interesting tidbits. A few chickens have gladly accepted the
invitation to show off at the workshop. Participants will have a chance to sign-up
for a tour of Soleil Farm after the workshop. Call 530.292.3174 to reserve a spot.

September 10-12 - A Weekend of Sustainable Living at Ananda Dhiira

This event will start on a Friday evening and run through lunch on Sunday. I will be helping the primary instructor, Gayle Marsh, to teach the sustainable portions while Didi Lalita will be teaching the yoga portions. The curriculum will be drawn from both The Natural Step, and the tenets of Permaculture, and there will be time for yoga sessions, a contemplative nature walk, stargazing and swimming in the South Yuba River. The fee of $250 includes meals and lodgings. If you are interested, contact me back, or Gayle at gaylemarsh AT mac Dot com.

On the outskirts of Davis, California, lies a 640-acre farm - the home
of D-Q University, the only Native American university in the United
States not on reservation land. It is a place of great dreams and great
hopes.

This September, collaboration between the Regenerative
Design Institute and D-Q University will bring together an incredible
array of permaculture teachers and Native American instructors for two
weeks of intensive training in permaculture
design, inter-generational mentoring and cultural connections. We invite
you to spend two weeks participating in an amazing experience of
revitalizing land and people.

The course will introduce the
ancient principles of the Great Law of Peace, originally brought to the
people of the Five Nations hundreds of years ago to help restore peace
to their warring nations. Together with hands-on training in the
principles of permaculture, this course will provide an experience of
beginning to heal our relationships to the Earth and each other. The
gift will be helping to revitalize a site rich in possibilities for
future generations of indigenous people. For further information, contact the Regenerative Design Institute.

This is a replay (while still being all new!) of the course I took in the spring, with most of the same instructors and material to be covered that will lead to certification while reflecting the new season and the design challenges opening up next. This course is designed within an innovative cooperative framework which allows us to:

* Share in the work, quickly build community, and learn in a hands-on environment
* Invest in this special site and leave behind artifacts memorializing our time together and what we have learned.
* By sharing the work and its fruits, we have the potential to reduce
the costs of this course further. As the number of participants crosses
certain thresholds, the economy of scale will reduce everyone’s course
fee, so tell your friends! Work trade discounts are available.

The practical sustainable living and cooperative working skills
built during course are set in the context of the ethics and principles
of permaculture design – the principles of natural systems. The website for more information on this offering is here.

Somewhere in my copious email in-box, I have lost the information about a Beekeeping Workshop coming up in September in my region; if I can locate it, I will post it. Our Sustainable Living Skills Workshop Series will continue in October, with a Breadmaking Workshop taught by long-time adobe oven baker, Richard DiKard, who lives in my community. Let me know if you want to come and visit for that!